Filling machine



Sept. 27, 1960 Filed July 19, 1956 c. R. WEINERT FILLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Carl R. Weinerr w rlrafiv H .TTORNE YS Sept. 27, 1960 Filed July 19, 1956 C. R. WEINERT FILLING MACHINE w I 32 T; L- i 36 .28 24 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 62 e Fig. 6

Wk -zo INVENTOR. Carl R. Wain err HIS AT ORNEYS Sept. 27, 1960 c. WEINERT FILLING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 19, 1956 E mm INVENTOR.

hhnHhuH- 1 nmm Carl R. Weinerr BY a 3 a f My I HISATTOR/VEYS United States Patent" C 7 cc FILLING MACHINE Carl R. Weinert, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Federal Laboratories, Inc., Saltsburg, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed July 19, 1956, Ser. No. 598,776

10 Claims. (Cl. 86'20) The present application relates to a filling machine, particularly a machine for incrementally filling grenade fuses with powder to form their time train.

Fuses of the type employed by the present invention as well as various other powder filled explosive charges in general, have an elongated case or portion of that case requiring a lengthwise extending body of compacted powder therein. This body of powder is not introduced all at once in a single filling for the reason that it would not pack uniformly. Instead, uniformity is attained in a succession of cycles each consisting of the deposit of loose increment of powder followed by the press and return stroke of a compacting ram. In each cycle that ram not only compacts the just added loose increment into a tight cylindrical mass, but inherent with each successive cycle the previously compacted powder is repressed with that-increment added to the top. The powder charge keeps building with uniform density in depth and several load and press cycles sufiice to completely charge the case.

Down in the body of the powder charge being deposited, the succession of tight cylindrical masses or increments forming the same give to the deposit the property of physical solidity and unity. But actually every second or third such mass or layer may be of a difierent composition from the immediately preceding mass so as to burn faster or slower even though compacted under identical press and repress pressures. Thus, by variance of the deposit to give it heterogeneous layers which alternate in composition, a very exact control can be had on predetermining the burning time of a time train of given length in a fuse.

In the immediately foregoing instance and also in the more general instances of a time train which is homogeneous throughout its length, it is essential thatrepeating increments of the same kind of powder or powders be exactly equal to one another to keep the overall length of the bodies of powder the same and keep them confined to their exact design length. Prior measuring and dispensing machines for powder have incorporated single, individually adjusted measuring recesses for trapping and transferring loose quantities from a powder hopper into a container into which they are dispensed, but due to the human error these quantities vary slightly with the setting and their cumulative error over the entire length of the charge being deposited becomes substantial. The present invention materially reduces or substantially elmihates such error regardless ofwhether the loose quantities are being compacted into a homogeneous powder mass or whether alternate heterogeneous layers of the foregoing typeiare being packed. A machine according to the present invention has a slide constituting a shuttling transfer plate and formed with a graduated series of measuring recesses or transfer openingstherein which are precalibrated as to'diameter and whose dimensions thus never vary, Selection of one or another from among these calibrated openings'insuresa'propermeasurement each time and as many times as needed. 7 One or several such shuttling plates may be employed to dispense powder into a common fuse depending upon how many types of powder are being alternately deposited, and different openings in the individual plates are selected to yield the desired quantity of each typepowder. A double acting press is employed in the present machine which automatically operates a ram through a down and return cycle following each transfer plate cycle and this alternation of cycles is greatly simplified through provision herein of an interlock switch mechanism preventing the press from operating except when all plates are retracted. 7

More specifically, the'transfer plate is steel and slides between a pair of vertically spaced fixed plates with-a wiping action so as to be self-cleaning. 'The fixed plates are of a nonsparking composition for safetys sake and the upper plate carries a hopper and is formed with a port or opening registering with the hopper to feed the transfer plate openings. The selected one of the transfer plateopeningsmoves between'the hopper connected port and a drop hole in the lower'plate'which is spaced from the hopper port and which vertically registers with the fuse being filled. The press holds the ram in a position out of the way of the transfer plate, but vertically poised over the drop hole for its subsequent operation. To give clearance to this ram, the upper plate is formed with-a registering opening in which the tip of the ram is normally lodged.

Further features, objects and advantages will either be specifically pointed out or become apparent when reference is made to the following written description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig; 1 is a plan view of a machine illustrating a pre' ferred embodiment of the invention,

' Figure 2 is a side elevational View of the machine,

Figure 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of Figure 2 with certain of the parts broken away for the sake of clarity, being taken along the section lines III-III of Figure 1,

Figures 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views taken .along the lines IV-IV and VV of Figure 3,

. Figures 6 and 7 are plan and elevational views of the slide structure component of Figure 3,

' Figures 8, 9 and 10 are sequential views of the loading operation of the fuse, and Figure 11 "is a schematic control diagram for the machine. Y I V V In Figures 1 through7 which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, a filling machine is shown having double acting hydraulic press '10 in combination With a powder dispenser consisting of a single unit portion A to which theidentical portions B and C may be joined to form a multiple dispenser unit if desired. The pressilfi carries a double acting ram 12 and has a ram control solenoid'14 which operates the press 10 through repeating down and return cycles with the ram 12. Regardless of whether the dispenser consists of a single or multiple unit, it includes a fixed pair of vertically spaced lower and upper plates 16 and 18 which may be made of brass, the lower plate 16 of which carries supporting legs 19 secured to depend from appropriate portions of the under-surface thereof and which further 16; In the interests of brevity only the single unit por- Patented Sept. 27,

. V 3 plate 26 and a cross head 28. The cross head 28 slides in a lengthwise extending slot 30 formed in the supporting plate 16 and is carried by the narrow end of the transfer plate 26. A pivot screw 32 which is threaded into the cross head 28 fits in a circular opening in the transfer plate 26. An adjustment screw 34 spaced from the pivot screw 32 is threaded into the cross head 28 and fits in an elongated arcuate' slot 36 extending transversely of the plate 26 and having its center of generation concentric to pivot screw 32. At the wide end the sector shaped transfer plate 26 has a row of graduated transfer openings 38 conforming to a path of revolution which arcs about the pivot screw 32 as the center of generation. The adjustment screw 34 may be loosened in order to bring the proper one of the transfer openings 38 into alignment with the two screws 32, 34 so as to register with a hopper connected port 40 formed in the upper fixed plate 18. This upper fixed plate '18 has a lengthwise extending slot 42 spaced from the transfer port 40 so 'as to make the screws 32, 34 accessable for adjustment. Under force of the bias springs 22, the upper plate 18 clamps the transfer plate 26 against the lower supporting plate 16 with only slight frictionalengagement leaving it free to slide. In one physically constructed embodiment of the invention, the transfer plate 26 was ferrous, actually being steel, whereas the fixed plates 16 and 18 were heavy brass plates which avoided sparking when the transfer plate 26 slid thereacross with a frictional wiping or rubbing action. The weight of the upper plate augmented the springs 22 in increasing the friction and the corner pegs 20 left the plates open at the ends and sides for the self-cleaning action of the plate 26 in purging stray powder particles.

The upper plate 18 carries a cylindrical powder hopper 44 having sloping inside walls 46 connected to introduce powder into the port 40 to keep it continually full. The appropriate one of the transfer openings 38 present therebelow necessarily fills with that powder. Operation of the cross head 28 to advance the transfer plate 26 causes the selected transfer opening 38 to move to a point of vertical registry both with a ram guiding port 43 in the upper plate 18 and with a tapered wall drop hole 50 formed in the supporting plate 16. The tapered wall drop hole 50 in turn registers with a fixture 52 carrying a grenade fuse case 54 in upright position. The grenade fuse case 54 has a cylindrical passage 56 to receive the powder train and a flared upper end 58 to receive the powder and also to receive the ram 12.

A double acting piston and cylinder slide motor 60 has a piston rod 62 connected at one end to the piston therewithin, not shown, and threaded at the opposite end into the cross head 28. A lock nut 64 carried by the threads on the piston rod locks the cross head securely thereto and adjacent this nut the piston rod passes through a cylindrical opening 66 which intersects the slot 30 in the supporting plate .16. The piston and cylinder motor 60 is a fluid pressure type motor having a control valve 68 which is operated by means of a positioning rod 70. The piston and cylinder slide motor 60 is mounted to a fixed support 72 and a limit switch finger 74 extends into the slot 30 at the rear so as to sense the presence of the slide structure 24. On the retracting stroke of the slide structure 24, the cross head 28 strikes the switch finger 74 and substantially simultaneously the lock nut 64 strikes the end of the slot 30 to bump and vibrate the powder from the hopper connected port 40 into the transfer plate opening 38 registering therewith.

The operation of the foregoin'g'machine follows from an observation of Figures 8, 9 and based on the initial position of parts as shown in Figure 3. The slide structure 24 is advanced to a point at which the selected one of the graduated transfer openings 38 holding powder registers with the ram guide port 48 and with the vertically aligned drop hole 50. The increment of powder falls loosely into the passage 56 withinthe-grenade-case 2 958959 I I m 54 and there following, the ram 12 is pressed downwardly so as to compact that powder in a first cylindrical mass 76 resting on the fixture 52. The ram 12 is then retracted to the solid line position of Figure 8 to leave the first mass 76 compacted according to Figure 10 and subsequent load and press operations are continued so as to deposit subsequent masses 78, 80, etc., on one another as the charge builds in depth. These charges may be of the same composition as the initial mass 76 or be of an alternating composition and are not necessarily ofthe same quantity.

ln'Figure 11, a control system is shown including a control box 82 for coordinating the operation of the ram control solenoid 14 and the various control rods 70 for the slide motors 60. A push switch 84 on the box 82 operates a polarized relay coil structure 86a to move the control rod 70 and send one of the slide structures 24 through an advance and retract cycle of operation. succession to send the ram control solenoid 14 through a press and return cycle by means of another polarized relay coil structure 88. Thelirnit switch finger 74 is so arranged with reference to the one or more cross heads 28 that it closes an interlock type limit switch 90 so as to prepare an AC. or a battery containing circuit 92 to supply the ram control solenoid 14. One or several of this interlock type. limit switch are included in circuit with the switch 90 to prepare or disable the circuit 92 depending on whether one or more units B, (3 are used in conjunction with the dispenser unit A. Each unit of course, has one transfer plate 26 and it is essential that no transfer plate remain in the path of the ram 12 because of possibility of brushing one of the calibrated openings 38 or otherwise damaging the plates 26. Operation of the polarized relay coil structure 83 causes aselector switch 93 to be displaced in one direction and held for a sufiicient time to energize a press coil 94 causing a downward stroke of the ram 12, Figure 2. After approximately a one-half second dwell time the polarized relay 88 reverses the switch 93 so as to operate a return coil $6 which reverses the ram control solenoid 14 and operates the ram through the retracting phase of the cycle. Further polarized relay coil means 86b, etc., may be provided for operating the control rods 70 of other slide motors 6% and in each case the box 32 responds to actuation from the switch 84 by sending one slide structure through a load and retract cycle and in sending the press 10 through a press and return cycle. Thus, regardless of whether the fuses are filled in homogeneous layers or in heterogeneous layers, each such layer is given an individual pressing before the next loose increment of powder of one type 'or another is added thereto. A compacting pressure of approximately 20 tons per square inch was used on the powder in one physically constructed embodiment of the invention. The interlock type switches at the outer limits of the crosshead-guide slots 30 insure that the ram 12 is prevented from being operated from its poised position at all times other than When the slide structures 24 are each fully retracted so as to safely clear its path.

The control box 82 contains the usual motor driven shaft, cams, and camming switch eftective as a sequence timer for coordinating the operation of the present sequence of polarized relays in known manner and there fore is not illustrated in detail.

In one physically constructed embodiment of the invention, the diameter of the smallest opening 38 was at least equal to the thickness of the steel transfer plate 26 to insure a diameter to length ratio of the transfer openings of unity or greater. Therefore, there was no tendency for a loose increment of powder to bridge in that opening and fail to dislodge itself when the cross head .28 strikes the end of the slot 30 in accordance with Figure 8.

The physical construction of the fuse grenade case The box 82 thereupon. continues in automatic a 54 of Figure 3 is such that the bore 56 has a inside diameter and is approximately 1" long, requiring three increments of powder more orless. For longer delay times of the time train, for instance, 15 seconds or 20 seconds delay, the fuse bore may have a length up to 10 inches requiring approximately twenty increments of powder, each requiring approximately one second to compress. The actual dwell of the ram is approximately half of that second under the indicated twenty-ton per square inch compacting pressure that it produces.

Variations within the spirit and scope of the invention described are equally comprehended by the foregoing description. i a V Iclaim:

l. filling machine comprising an assembly of spaced plates having a drop hole and defining a fixed guideway extending longitudinally of the plates, an interposed sector-shaped slide element clamped in the space between said plates and having a transversely extending row of different sized transfer openings in the wide end thereof, the diameter-to-length ratio of the smallest one of said transfer openings being greater than unity, a cross head element in said guideway having a drive connection to said slide element at the narrow end thereof, the aforesaid two elements being further connected by means of a fastener on one of said elements and a transversely disposed slot on the other element receiving said fastener, double-acting motor means operatively connected to the cross head element to reciprocate the slide element in a lengthwise path defined by the guideway, means comprising said fastener and slot to adjust said drive connection for swinging the wide end of the slide to center a selected one of the transfer openings on a longitudinal axis conforming to the path of reciprocation so as to render it selectively registerable with said drop hole, a ram vertically aligned with said drop hole, ram reciprocating means in driving relation to said ram, and control means common to said double-acting motor means and said ram reciprocating means efiective for operating the-slide element through the opposite strokes of advance for registering above the drop hole and of return, in that order, at one time and effective for operating the ram'reciprocating means throughone sequence of press. and return strokes at a different time so as to preventinterference of one with the other resulting from unwanted concerted action of both directed toward said drop hole.

2.-In a fillingmachine in combination, a press ram, an assembly offi'xed plates common to said press ram and presentingvertically aligned apertures'in the path of said ram and having a plurality of horizontal guideways extending outwardly from the common axis of the apertures, a cross head in each guideway, a plurality of sector-shaped metering slides connected to the difierent cross heads for reciprocatory movement in separate paths in the plate assembly, double-acting power members having separate connections to the cross heads for alternately reciprocating the same on their separate paths in moving the slides successively into and out of a position coaxial to the path of the press ram, and control means common to said power members for operating same only in sequence thereby preventing two or more of the metering slides from being forced toward a position coaxially relative to said apertures and said press ram at the same time.

3. In a fuse filling machine in combination with a press ram, an assembly of fixed plates presenting vertically aligned apertures in the path of said ram and having a longitudinally extending guideway, a cross head in said guideway, a sector-shaped slide connected to said cross head for longitudinal movement Within the plate assembly and capable of limited pivotal movement laterally relative to said cross head, and a row of difierent sized openings conforming generally to a path of revolution in said slide and selectively registerable with said apertures under proper pivotal adjustment of said slide.

4. In a filling machine for explosive devices, an assem-i bly of fixed plates presenting vertically aligned apertures in a path of a ram and having a plurality of horizontal guideways extending outwardly therefrom, a cross head in each guideway, a plurality of slides connected to the different cross heads for reciprocatory movement within the 'plate assembly and capable of limited pivotal movement relative to the associated cross head, a ram control circuit operable to drive the ram downwardly through said aperture, and switch interlock elements included in said circuit and operable by different cross heads when in the outer end'of their guideways to prepare the ram control circuit for each operation.

5. In a filling machine for explosive devices, an assem bly of fixed plates presenting vertically aligned apertures in a path of a ram and having a plurality of horizontal guideways extending outwardly therefrom, a cross head in each guideway, a'plurality of slidesconnected to the different cross heads for reciprocatory movement within the plate assembly and each capable of limited pivotal movement relative 'to the associated cross head, said slides having transfer openings therein which can be adjusted by pivoting the slide on the cross head so that the openings selectively register with said apertures whenever the cross head is at the inner end of its associated guideway, a ram control circuit operable to drive the ram downwardly through said apertures, and switch interlock elements included in .said circuit and operable by different cross heads when in the outer end of their guideways to prepare the ram control circuit for each operation.

6. In a filling machine, a double acting press operable in individual cycles, and, in combination therewith, an assembly of fixed plates presenting vertically aligned aper tures in the'path of operation of the press, said plate assembly having a plurality of horizontal guideways ex-' tending outwardly from the path of the press and includ-' ing a cross head fitted in each guideway, a plurality of sector-shaped slides connected to the difierent cross heads for reciprocatory movement within the plate assembly and each pivotally connected to a point on and capable of limited shift relative to the associated cross head, a press control circuit operable to drive the press through a complete press and return cycle, and switch interlock elements included in said press control circuit and operable by the diiferent cross heads when in the outer ends of their guideways to prepare the press control circuit for each operation. a

7. In a machine fordepositing and compacting increments of powder, fixed upper and lower plates having upstanding pegs disposed therebetween only at the corners to leave them open at the ends and the sides and holding the upper plate in exact vertical alignment with the lower plate, slide plate means slidable in a path longitudinally between the plates and constituting the sole support for the upper plate, said slide plate means including a metering part'pivotally mounted thereto so as to present a laterally slidable portion having a transfer opening which shifts from an offset position as the slide plate means portion slides laterally so as to register with spaced first and second ports in said upper plate, said first and second ports lying along the path axis of the longitudinal path of said slide plate means, linear movement type drive means connected to slide the slide plate means with a stroke sutlicient to completely uncover said second port when placing said transfer opening into registry with said first port, a compacting ram movable in a vertical path coincident with said second port, ram reciprocating drive means for efiecting movement of said ram, means biasing the upper plate into clamped engagement with said slide plate means to cause the latter to continually wipe against both fixed plates with a self-cleaning action while moving in said longitudinal slide path, at least one of said plates presenting ferrous wear surfaces and another plate rubhing thereagainst being selected of a non-sparking metallic, alloy composition so that their dissimilar interfaces of metallic contact cooperate withone another withia sparkfr-ee wiping action, a drop hole formed in said lower plate, a hopper connected to said first port in the upper plate for introducing powder into said transfer opening for ultimate transfer ofthe same to .said drop hole in the lower plate which is vertically aligned'with said second port in the upper plate, and control means common to said linear movement type drive means and said ram reciprocating means efiective for operating the slide plate means through the opposite strokes of advance for registering above the drop hole and of return, in that order, at one time and effective for operating the compacting ram through one sequence of press and return strokes at a different time so as to prevent interference of one with the other resulting from unwanted concerted action of both directed toward said drop hole.

8. In a fuse packer, atram adapted to make press and return strokes into and from the fuse being packed, ram reciprocating means, power delivery control mechanism for applying power to said reciprocating means for operating the ram through successive press and return cycles repressing each compacted increment with the next increment being pressed, means including aslide structure disposed in a plane mutually perpendicular to the axis of; said ram and having a supporting frame .provided with a slot for guiding said slide structure in a first direction in said plane, said slide structure adapted to move to one of said slot ends for depositing an increment of powder in said fuse and said slide structure including a metering part connected for pivotal movement laterally about a fixed axis on said slide structure and formed with a transversely extending row of difierent size openings selectively registerable on center with said ram at that slot end, an actuator movable with slide structure and adapted to contact means on the frame adjacent the opposite end of the slide slot, and means actuated in response to said contact to prepare said control mechanism for a cycle of operation only after the selected one of said openings moves from its centered position with said ram.

9. In a fuse packer, a ram adapted to make press and return strokes into and from the fuse being packed, ram reciprocating means, power delivering control mechanism for applying power to said reciprocating means for operating the ram through successive press and return cycles repressing each compacted increment with the next increment being pressed, means including a slide structure disposed in a plane mutually perpendicular to the axis of said ram and having asupporting frame pro-.- vided with a slot for guiding saidv slide, structure in a first direction in said plane, said slide structure adapted,

said slide structure as defined by the slide slot, means actuated in response to said contact to prepare said control mechanism for a cycle of operation, a similar slide structure in said plane but extending in a direction therein different from said first direction, for depositing an increment of additional powder coaxially in said fuse, and control means common to said slide structuresfor operating same only in sequence so as to prevent interference of one with the other resulting from unwanted simultaneous operation of both. 7

10. In a fuse packer, a ram adapted to make press and return strokes into and from the fuse being packed, ram reciprocating means, power delivering control mechanism for applying power to said reciprocating means for operating the ram through successive press and return cycles repressing each compacted increment with the'next increment being pressed, means including a slide structure disposed in a plane mutually perpendicular to the axis of said ram and having a supporting frame provided with a slot for guiding said slide structure in a first direction in said plane, said slide structure adapted to move to one of said slot ends for depositingan increment of powder in said fuse, and including a metering part thereon connected thereto to swing to laterally adjusted positions for presenting a selection of difierent size increment carrying portions each registerably above said fuse in one position thereof, an actuator movable with said slide structure and adapted to contact means on the frame adjacent the opposite end of the path of travel of said slide structure as defined by the slide slot, and means actuated in response to said contact to prepare said control mechanism for a cycle of operation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,651 McDonald et al. Mar. 20, 1917 1,265,290 Cantrell May 17, 1918 2,366,811 Sibson et a1 Jan. 9, 1945 2,367,031 Johnson Jan. 9, 1945 2,670,101 Heisterkamp et al Feb. 23, 1954 2,761,588 Shields Sept. 4, 1956 

